Cold pork belly, shrimp & scallion kimchi combo in Yangsan: Saesam

On days I want meat, samgyeopsal (pork belly) is usually the first thing that comes to mind haha. But this time I was craving naengsam (cold pork belly) instead of my usual samgyeopsal, so I looked around and ended up at Saesam Yangsan Main Branch!

This isn't just a naengsam place — they also have a menu where you grill shrimp along with the pork. Naengsam plus shrimp seemed like an odd pairing at first, but once I tried it, eating the two together was genuinely fun. And the real highlight: grilling scallion kimchi on the pan too! Let me walk you through everything I tried, from the basic side dishes to the fried shrimp heads.

The retro vibe of Saesam Yangsan Main Branch

Saesam Yangsan Main Branch is located at 30 Pyeongsan-ro, Yangsan-si, Gyeongnam. Walking inside, the retro atmosphere caught my eye first.

There's a big mural on the wall that looks like an old-school alley, and round tables lined up throughout, giving it a nostalgic feel haha. Since it's a Korean BBQ place, each table had its own duct system installed, and the space between seats wasn't cramped at all.

I visited in the evening and there were quite a few customers, so it really did seem like a go-to naengsam spot in Yangsan.

Order via tablet, and the signature is Saesam Samhap

Once seated, there was a tablet at the table, so I took my time browsing the menu.

They had everything from naengsam to cheek meat (bbol-hangjeongsal) and beef brisket (chadolbaegi), plus shrimp available separately. Since it was our first visit, we decided to go with the signature menu. Enter: Saesam Samhap!

Saesam Samhap comes with 300g of Korean pork naengsam, 12 black tiger shrimp, and scallion kimchi, priced at ₩46,500. On top of that, there's a special owner's service where you get to pick one of: Paldo Bibim Myeon, Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, Chapagetti, doenjang jjigae, kimchi jjigae, or steamed egg.

You know how hard it is to choose something like this haha.

The basic side dishes are already pretty generous

After ordering, we waited a bit and the basic side dishes started coming out one by one.

Kimchi, white kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, scallion salad, lettuce, garlic, and several sauces all came out together. The sauces included ssamjang, sesame oil salt sauce, and a spicy sauce.

We were told that side dishes like scallion kimchi, bean sprouts, and kimchi could all be grilled on the pan too, which had me excited from the start.

If any side dish ran low, you could just grab more from the self-service bar — super convenient!!

The Saesam Samhap looked great even before we started grilling

Finally, the main event! The naengsam and shrimp arrived together on one plate.

The naengsam uses 1+ grade Korean pork and is sliced at 2.5mm thick, according to the restaurant. It's noticeably thinner than regular samgyeopsal, so it cooks fast on the pan.

And the shrimp were bigger than I expected. I came here for meat and ended up with a full shrimp course too haha.

Thin naengsam cooks fast

Once the pan heated up, the naengsam went on first. Being thin, it cooked quickly.

With a sizzling sound, the edges browned nicely and the smell of meat drifted up, suddenly making me even hungrier haha. I tried the first well-cooked piece right away. I like eating the first bite plain, just dipped lightly in salt — the savory flavor came through first, and it was clean and light with each chew!

Even though it's thin, it doesn't just turn crispy all over — the inside still kept a nice meaty texture, which I loved. This was one of those moments where I was glad I went looking for good naengsam in Yangsan.

Make sure to grill the scallion kimchi

Eating the scallion kimchi plain here would be a bit of a waste. I put it on the pan in the fat left over from the naengsam and grilled it together.

As the scallion kimchi cooked, the seasoning aroma rose up, and it paired really well with the naengsam. I put a piece of grilled scallion kimchi on top of the naengsam and wrapped it with lettuce.

The savory pork combined with the spicy scallion kimchi cut through the richness and kept me reaching for more. For me, grilling the scallion kimchi like this was tastier than eating it plain.

Time to grill the shrimp too

After eating some naengsam, we put the shrimp on the pan too. Watching the shells change color as they cooked was fun to watch haha. The shrimp meat was plump and bouncy.

The texture was completely different from the pork, so alternating between a few pieces of naengsam and a shrimp really switched things up in the mouth! And the shrimp themselves were big enough that even one or two made a strong impression.

The naengsam + shrimp + scallion kimchi combo

Now for the real samhap experience. Lettuce down, naengsam on top, shrimp on top of that, and grilled scallion kimchi to finish — all in one bite!

At first I wondered if that was too many ingredients for one wrap, but once I actually ate it, each flavor still came through distinctly. The savory naengsam, the bouncy shrimp texture, and the spicy finish from the scallion kimchi worked together better than I expected.

That's when it clicked why they call it Saesam Samhap haha.

The stew we picked for our free side

We chose kimchi jjigae for our special owner's service! It came out bubbling in a stone pot, perfect for a spoonful of broth between bites of meat. It was loaded with tofu, scallions, and plenty of meat too!

Eating meat nonstop can get a little heavy, so having the stew in between hit the spot perfectly.

Added on: fried shrimp heads

We also ordered the fried shrimp heads separately. They came out crispy-fried, with a seasoning packet served on the side!

They were crispy and savory even plain, but dipping them lightly in the seasoning changed the flavor completely haha.

I only dipped a little at first, but it went so well that I kept dipping more and more later haha. The distinct savory flavor of the shrimp heads combined with the salty seasoning would make a great beer snack too.

My takeaway on Saesam Yangsan Main Branch

This naengsam spot in Yangsan was great when you want to enjoy several things together rather than just plain naengsam. In particular, the Saesam Samhap comes with 300g of naengsam, 12 shrimp, and scallion kimchi, making it a solid, filling combo even for two people :)

The naengsam, being thin, cooked fast and had a nicely savory flavor. The shrimp's bouncy texture made a great addition between bites of meat.

Grilling the scallion kimchi on the pan is what stuck with me the most. Wrapping it up together after cooking it in the naengsam fat made it far tastier than just eating the meat alone.

When you're craving naengsam in Pyeongsan-dong

If you're looking for good naengsam in Pyeongsan-dong, Yangsan, Saesam Yangsan Main Branch is worth a visit. Since it's not just naengsam but a menu where you can enjoy shrimp and scallion kimchi together, it's also fun to eat with a group!

Next time I visit, I want to pick Buldak Bokkeum Myeon with the Saesam Samhap. Naengsam with buldak (fire chicken noodles) — I really can't resist that combo haha. I went with stew this time, so next time I'll try a totally different pairing!

Saesam Yangsan Main Branch / 30 Pyeongsan-ro, 1st floor, Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea